The present invention relates to a composition and a method for reducing the generation of dust from dry soil. The invention is specifically intended to be used on dirt roads to reduce the generation of dust clouds as traffic or air moves over such roads.
In farming areas, many roads or paths are covered, particularly in dry weather, with dust or other earth particles of small dimensions, and these particles develop large dust clouds as the result of movement of vehicular traffic, like cars or trucks, or by the wind. There are very many drawbacks associated with this problem, as the movement of dust can affect public health and the hygiene of crops, as well as cause premature wearing of machine parts and traffic hazards. To counteract this problem, a daily spraying treatment with water is used, and this requires huge volumes of water, a significant amount of labor and the use of expensive devices. This is a very old problem and in our industrial time, several proposals have been already made. Of course, the simplest solution is to pave the roads with asphalt or concrete, but this is an expensive solution and not desirable for farms or other rural locations. A more accepted solution is the topical treatment of the road with hygroscopic compounds, such as molasses, alkaline earths salts and similar components. The problem with this treatment is that rainfall causes dissolution of the hygroscopic compounds and the dissolved components penetrate into the soil with the related risks of loss of efficacy as well as pollution. There is therefore a need to find a solution to solve this problem which is particularly critical on large farms or in countries or regions that have hot, dry climates.